furnished with a leathern curtain, which encloses The light waggons are very much

the open part.

like the coachees, but they are not so elegantly fitted up, and are large enough to hold a dozen people, which makes them convenient for stage carriages. I was not satisfied, you may be certain, till I had had a ride in each of them.

The Philadelphians are indebted to Benjamin Franklin, for the establishment of the university, the public library, the hospitals, companies of assurance against fire, and the philosophical society. This great man was the son of a soap-boiler at Boston, and was born in 1706. Having taken a dislike to his father's business, he was apprenticed to his brother, who was a printer, and published a newspaper; which gave young Franklin an opportunity of displaying his genius and taste for literature, that excited his brother's jealousy to so great a degree, that he was obliged to leave him, and underwent many vicissitudes in attempting to make his way in the world, by his own abilities and indus try, unassisted by a friend, or the fostering hand of a parent. He was at one time so much reduced, as to wander about the streets of Philadelphia, a stranger to all around him, without employment, or knowing where to find any; eating a dry crust, and quenching his thirst in the waters of the Delaware, with only five shillings in his pocket; and yet, he rose to be the legislator of America, and her ambassador at the court of France, where

he

he was reverenced as an able negociator, and the father of his country.

He did not shine only in public life, but even his hours of leisure were devoted to the good of mankind. In experimental philosophy he had few equals; the greatest discoveries in electricity, are the result of his observations. His example, in temperance, moderation, and economy, assisted by his gazette, and Poor Richard's Almanack, is supposed to have had great influence in promoting the morals of Iris countrymen; and his unostentatious, amiable manners, secured him a numerous circle of friends, whilst his politics relative to America, raised him many enemies in England, who still execrate his memory. But you and I have nothing to do with political squabbles; virtue is virtue, whether in a friend or an enemy, and there are noble traits in Dr. Franklin's character, which we must admire, and ought to imitate.

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Ever your affectionate

ARTHUR MIDDLETON.

LETTER

LETTER II.

Henry Franklin to his Brother.

Philadelphia.

DEAR BROTHER,

A VESSEL. being ready to sail for England, I gladly embrace the opportunity of making a few remarks on some subjects that have excited my attention.

Commerce is the universal occupation of the inhabitants of this city, though many of the mo

nied men employ their capitals in buying and selling land, which is here as much an article of traffic as any other commodity. Philadelphia is the grand emporium of the whole province and adjoining states, collecting from them the following articles for exportation: charcoal, pot-ash, beer, cider, salt meat and fish, butter, cheese,. corn, flour, tallow candles, linseed, soap, timber, staves, hides, deer and beaver skins, bark, and pigs of iron. The accommodations for commerce are excellent, the quay, being large, and so con-veniently constructed, that merchantmen of considerable size can unload their cargoes without difficulty. There are also several wet and dry. docks for building and repairing ships, besides numerous magazines, and stores; (the American

name

name for warehouses;) to which may be added, the advantage, both to utility and beauty, by the introduction of canals, and the situation of the city between two rivers, the Delaware and the Schuylkill, which nearly enclose it. It was founded by the celebrated William Penn, in 1682. He received a grant of lands, on the western side of the Delaware, from the crown, since erected into a province, called Pennsylvania. The wisdom, moderation, justice, and humanity of this great man's character, were eminently displayed in the plan of his city, the code of laws for the government of his province, and his upright and generous treatment of the Indians from whom he made the purchase. Their veneration for his memory is so deeply rooted, and their confidence in his veracity so unshaken, that, to this day, they are never perfectly satisfied with any treaty, unless some Quakers are present at the conference; for, say they, the descendants of William Penn will never suffer us to be deceived. A more noble testimony to his integrity than the sculptured bust, or marble

monument.

There are but few poor, as may be expected in a country, where every man who enjoys health and strength, may earn a comfortable subsistence; but great attention is paid to those few who want it. The hospital is built in the form of a Roman H, and is under excellent regulations; supplying the sick and infirm with every necessary comfort, be

sides affording an asylum for lunatics, lying-in women, and children who are deserted by their parents.

The Bettering House is a kind of workhouse, where employment and support are provided for the aged, the destitute, and the friendless.

Philadelphia has the honour of giving to mankind an example of the advantages to be derived from the wise, humane treatment of criminals. By the new penal laws adopted in this city, soli-tary confinement (on some few occasions, for twenty-one years, but generally for a much shorter period, proportioned to the nature of the crime, and the behaviour of the offender,) is the severest punishment inflicted on any delinquent except a malicious murderer, who atones for his crime by his death. Nothing can be better contrived for the design than the gaol,, which is a spacious building, of common stone. It is fitted up with solitary cells, each apartment being arched, to prevent the communication of fire. Behind the building, are extensive yards, which are secured by lofty walls. The awful silence of the place (for not a word. is suffered to be spoken; not a laugh, or the voice of mirth is to be heard; but a melancholy solemnity pervades the whole) affected the sensible mind of Arthur deeply; he squeezed my hand in his, which I felt was in a cold damp, as we passed through the long ranges of cells, and shuddered at the sound of our foot steps,

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